His onetime Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan, who was Arpaio's right-hand man for the last years of his tenure, said he was happy for his former boss.

"He didn't deserve to be convicted in the first place. The (judge's) order was not that clear. There was never any evidence he intended to disobey that order. This was the right thing to do because he was not guilty."

Sheridan said he spoke with Arpaio on Thursday.

"He was holding his breath," Sheridan said, adding the former sheriff was concerned he would be sent to prison.

Sheridan said Arpaio intends to appeal the guilty verdict to have it cleansed from his record. The pardon does not do that.

Others react:

“The president clearly has pardoning powers under the United States Constitution, and with this action, he has brought finality to this chapter in Arizona's history. Sheriff Joe is my friend, and now he, Ava and their family can move on and enjoy their retirement together.” — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey

"The federal court has spoken. The court of public opinion has spoken. The President has spoken. It's time to move on." — Denny Barney, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

“The President brought justice to a situation where the Obama administration had attempted to destroy a political opponent. Sheriff Joe Arpaio made many enemies in the judicial system, the media, and the left because he enforced laws that the federal government ignored. He did right by the law – even as the political consequences continued to mount. America owes Sheriff Arpaio a debt of gratitude and not the injustice of a political witch hunt." — U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

Just received word that Sheriff Joe Arpaio won a pardon from @POTUS. The Rule of Law still stands.

“I think the president and his Department of Justice, once they finally got their hands around what had happened, realized it stunk to high heaven with the way the DOJ under Obama handled it. It just stunk.” — Chad Willems, Arpaio’s longtime campaign consultant.

“The verdict in July was a travesty of justice. President Trump recognized Sheriff Arpaio was doing his job, following the law and this is why he deserves to be pardoned. Judge Bolton’s ruling has caused me to lose my faith in the court system and the federal judicial system. As a former law enforcement officer, I have experienced days when my job did not guarantee my return to my family. Arpaio rid Arizona of illegals. The President recognizes his work to protect America. President Trump has proven that if you do your job, you should not be punished for it.” — James Fotis, president of the National Center for Police Defense, which has helped pay for Arpaio's defense.